I Just Am

Be at rest once more, O my soul

for the Lord has been good to you.

Psalm 116:7

DTS GATHERING - COVENTRY, ENGLAND

What's a DTS Gathering, you ask?  Well, this was a literal gathering of over 150 DTS trainees and staff from across the UK and even from Italy, for a week of teaching and practicing evangelism.  There is a team based here at Harpenden called the Forever team which has been planning these gatherings over the last 2 years to take place at all of the different Olympic host cities.  Coventry is one of those.  There are several reasons for these gatherings - it gives the DTS trainees the opportunity to be put into a new setting and given the opportunity to put into practice what they have learned throughout the course of the DTS.  It is also simply to bless these cities and see the potential for more.

This is what remains of St. Michael's Cathedral which was bombed during the 2nd World War.

It was a week of sleeping on church floors (the girls were lucky, we had carpet), limited showering (I personally didn't shower for 8 days...), lots of new faces, being challenged in my thinking and my doing, and letting God love me then pouring that love out to others in new ways.

While I may not have incredible stories of the major impact I may or may not have left on someone's life (that might still remain to be seen), I have an incredible story of what God did in my life this week.  

The teachings were incredible and so live giving.  There was a lot of worship and prayer involved as well, which is always great.  I would say my view of evangelism has changed quite a bit.  I have always hated that word - evangelism - never a word I liked to use or even think about.  But when you look at evangelism as simply loving people and showing that you have found purpose in this life and they can too, it changes things.  We are called to love others and God has given us creativity to create new and different and meaningful ways of loving people.  Whether through going up and asking them if they want prayer to inviting people to come play football in the park to standing outside with a piece of cardboard declaring who you are and so much more.  

God has done a lot in me.  Each day I see more and more the hand that God has played in every aspect of my life from where I have lived, the people I have been surrounded by, the words God has spoken over me.  Everything.  God's timing is perfect and each place I go prepares me for the next.  I am continuing to see more of who God is and how I can live in the confidence and love that comes from Him.  I don't need to perform in order to be loved by this incredible God.  I just am.  This is the hope I have.

It has all led me to this place.

The last night of the Gathering we were having a celebration night full of worship, testimonies and declarations.  It was during this time that everything that had happened over the last 2 weeks collided in my head and it finally all moved to my heart.  I had a moment when I was almost in tears looking around at everyone in the room telling of who God is to them and surrendering all they are to Him and I was filled with so much love for God and for all these incredible people.  And it was in this moment that I think I discovered something:

God has brought me here to this place and I'm going to be here for a while.  I finally feel that this is where I'm supposed to be right now and this is what I'm meant to do with my life and I'm here to stay until God tells me to go somewhere else.  This is a big statement for me to make.  I never thought, in my wildest dreams, that my life could take me to this place.  I have learned so much in these last months here as staff and I have grown in areas that I never thought I would or even could grow in and it's all so new and challenging and exciting and good.  So good.  I can't wait to see what else God has in store for me.  I know it's gonna be good and far greater than I can imagine.  

This makes me smile.